Strato Melbourne is combining panoramic city views from 40 floors above CBD-level with a spot of high tea. Running every Saturday and Sunday from 12 pm to 3 pm and priced at $85 per person, the menu is three tiers of high tea classics and contemporary additions, with panoramic 360-degree city views doing a lot of the heavy lifting on atmosphere. Every guest gets a complimentary glass of bubbles on arrival, plus tea and coffee throughout. General Manager Jozef Uhlarik says, “This isn’t your standard grandmother’s high tea. Of course, all grandmothers are welcome, but they should expect upbeat music, a vibrant atmosphere and an elevated cocktail list.” It starts with warm plain and fruit scones, Chantilly cream and fruit jams, then moves into the savoury tier, silken egg sandwiches with Dijon mustard and chives, prawn cocktail brioche with Aussie prawns and seafood sauce, smoked salmon with whipped yuzu cream cheese on a sesame bagel, and mango coronation chicken with mint and coriander. A slow-braised beef and poppy seed pie with house-made tomato chutney covers the warm bites. The desserts on offer are the kind that warrant a photoshoot before they’re eaten. Vanilla silk choux, a jewel berry custard tart with seasonal fruit, a midnight chocolate gold dome with crisp pearls and gold leaf, and a velvet raspberry macaron with a silky centre. The cocktail list features Naught Gin creations with notes of passionfruit, vanilla, crisp apple and mint, alongside Bellinis, Mimosas and spritz-style options. A bottomless drinks upgrade is also available for larger groups and anyone not in a hurry to leave. Uhlarik describes the overall feel as deliberately social. “We’ve designed the high tea to feel social, celebratory and just a little bit indulgent. Whether it’s a girls’ day out, hen’s party, or a milestone moment, this is high tea – with a pulse.” Strato Melbourne has been open since 2022 and has three VIP rooms for anyone wanting a more private setting. The high tea is available to book now. Source: Kick Off Communications Find more dining out updates on Crumb Wire.

David Jones has relaunched its Elizabeth Street food hall as Eat at DJ’s, an eight-venue dining precinct on the Lower Ground floor of the Sydney CBD flagship. The precinct is run by Create Catering, a hospitality operator with a background in luxury retail environments, and spans everything from handmade pasta to functional smoothies. It is built around eight distinct eateries, each with its own identity and menu focus, pitched at city workers, shoppers and visitors looking for something beyond a food court grab-and-go. David Jones Buying Manager Amesbury Hagan says the doors reopening has been a long time coming. “We’re excited to welcome guests back to a revitalised David Jones Food Hall, where diverse flavours and fresh delights come together once again.” Premium doesn’t mean predictable For Create Catering founder and managing director Anthony Whitehouse, the offer is a statement of intent. “The Food Hall represents everything we believe in, that premium dining doesn’t have to mean predictable. We’ve built eight eateries that each have their own identity, their own story and their own reason to come back for more.” Retro Roast is the most knowing of the bunch, a direct callback to the David Jones food halls of the 1970s. Crispy skin roast pork with seasonal vegetables and gravy leads the menu alongside a brisket gravy roll, and platters of brisket, roast pork and spit roast chicken with a choice of vegetables and gravy. Pan Divino City is the CBD offshoot of the Surry Hills Italian, dialled back for lunch rather than a long sit-down. Head Chef Adam Bryce is working with handmade pasta and Italian classics, gnocchi with smoked short rib ragu, fresh crudo, and house-baked focaccia. “With Pan Divino City, we intend to bring our Italian hideaway in Surry Hills to the heart of the city, bringing with it the warm, personable level of service that has been loved by our locals since we opened, making you feel as if you have been invited to dine in our home, not just another restaurant,” says Bryce. “The menu will feature some of our classic dishes alongside new items to help turn your lunch break into something much more.” Wok Bar is doing live wok cooking, dumplings, noodles, laksa, prawn nasi goreng, prawn laksa, the kind of thing that moves fast and hits hard. Next to it, Good Bagel has house-made bagels going in every direction, smoked salmon if that is the vibe, brisket poppy seed if it is not, or a French toast bagel with whipped wild blueberry cream cheese if the day calls for it, with iced matcha variations on the drinks menu. Pizzeria is doing slices and whole pizzas, the kind of thing New Yorkers have been eating standing up on the street for decades, for very good reason: It’s fast, zero fuss, and it travels. Celebration Cake Bar is taking on the special occasions with sculptural cakes, strawberry Belgian chocolate pots, and matcha Oreo cheesecake. Cool Press Juice Bar is the functional nutrition corner, smoothies and broths that can be built out with collagen, spirulina or adaptogens depending on what the body needs that day. The Alchemy Smoothies range covers Pretty in Pink, Muscle Nectar, The Pro Metabolic Shake and Matcha Marine. Whitehouse says the relaunch reflects something shifting in how people think about eating while they shop. “It’s no longer just about convenience, it’s about quality, variety and experience. “With the David Jones Food Hall, we’ve created a destination that brings together different cuisines, formats and dining moments, from quick lunches through to more considered meals, all under one roof.” The revitalised food hall at David Jones Elizabeth Street is now open. Source: Electric Collective Find more dining out updates on Crumb Wire.

MasterChef Australia is back for season 18 and according to judge Poh Ling Yeow, it is finding its way back to what made it great in the first place. Andy Allen, Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli are in the judges’ chairs, with a guest lineup that covers a lot of ground, from Maggie Beer, Curtis Stone, Adriano Zumbo, Sanjeev Kapoor and Rick Stein to social media names DimSimLim, Andy Cooks, Victoria Minell of Recipes by Victoria and Lily Huynh of biteswithlily. Robert Irwin and Jimmy and Jane Barnes are also making their MasterChef debuts this season and as if that weren’t enough, 10 has revealed that Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, will be stopping by too. Season 18 kicks off The first episode of Season 18 aired on Sunday, April 19. The show set the scene with a nostalgia trip in the best possible way, with scenes from earlier seasons projected onto the facade of the kitchen set. Viewers got to see the audition process woven back into the show this time around. Forty contestants were split into two groups of 20, competing head-to-head for their white aprons. A few were handed out on the spot, which set the tone pretty quickly: the standard is high and the competition is stiff from day one. The dishes that turned heads included a plate of chicken and prawn mala dumplings, a black sesame and yuzu chiffon cake, a beautifully charred octopus and an ofada stew with plantains and Nigerian-inspired rice. Monday night’s episode 2 had a similar vibe with another octopus dish making a splash alongside a Dukkah-style lamb and an unexpected panino stealing the show. The contestants who made it through had one thing in common – they made bold decisions and were very confident in their strengths. Which brings us to the judge who perhaps understands that better than anyone. Tell me your story “I am proof that you don’t need to win MasterChef to make your dreams come true,” Poh Ling Yeow said in the opening episode, and as someone who has done exactly that, she would know. Yeow is essentially MasterChef Australia canon herself, having been the runner up in season one, now making her way to the judge’s table for the third time. That history gives her a unique perspective on the show and how it operates both logistically and emotionally. She has watched the show grow, stumble and course correct over the years. The stumble, in her view, came when the show chased prestige over relatability. Between seasons one and five, it escalated quickly, riding the wave of Heston Blumenthal’s multi-sensory cooking and highly technical molecular gastronomy, and somewhere along the way, it stopped feeling like food people could connect with or replicate in their own kitchens. “I felt like the show actually took a bit of a dive in ratings at that point, because people couldn’t relate to the food,” says Yeow. “I think the days of just watching it for escapism are gone. I think people want to relate to the food and be able to go to the supermarket, buy the same ingredients and cook it with their kids.” The show has spent years since then trying to get back to something more grounded, and Yeow thinks this season is getting it right. “I think the last few years have been really successful doing that,” she says, adding that the goal now is to cast the kind of cook that people can relate to while still feeling aspirational. What Yeow actually wants to see on the plate is pretty simple: a real, authentic story rather than a technically flawless dish cooked by someone performing a version of themselves. She is hoping this season brings food that reflects where the contestants come from and what they are made of. “Being original is actually being yourself,” she says. “Telling your family story. It should reflect authentically what you’ve come from, what you’re made of, what you grew up with.” “Sometimes they feel like they’re the ones that are kind of disadvantaged, because they don’t have this culture to borrow from that gives them a point of difference. But then I’ll see them dig deep, and they tell these really moving family stories.” That deep dive into their own history is what Yeow is hoping to see more of this season. The judging panel Yeow says she has learned a little bit of something from everyone on the judging panel, and with a team that includes Michelin-starred chef Jean-Christophe Novelli alongside Andy Allen and Sofia Levin, it is not hard to see why. “I’ve learned so much from all of them,” Yeow says. She specifically calls out Levin for her encyclopaedic knowledge of global cuisines, the product of being the most widely travelled of the group. “She’s probably eaten the most cultural cuisines of any of us. She’s very well travelled and a very enthusiastic eater. She’ll be able to pull dish names out of the bag like there’s no tomorrow.” Allen is the one she learns from most in terms of technical precision. “He’s got a really amazing palate and he’ll be able to size a piece of steak and know exactly how long that needs to go on the pan,” she says. She also appreciates how plainly he communicates, something she admits she sometimes struggles with herself. “I tend to get a little bit tongue tied and overcomplicate things in my head. I love how he breaks it down really clearly and simply for the contestants.” Being in the judge’s seat does not mean she has switched off the part of herself that knows exactly what it feels like to be on the other side of the pass. “There is no disconnect,” she says. “I just so fully empathise with what they’re going through, but I still have to do my job. You always have to be very diplomatic, but still make it so that they are motivated to...

Whittaker’s Banana Caramel block has made it to Australian shelves and Choc-Tok is already weighing in. The flavour has been a cult favourite across the ditch in New Zealand for a while, where a limited-edition run sold out in 2025, and Australians have apparently been vocal enough about wanting it that Whittaker’s has made it official. The fan-favourite block pairs the brand’s Creamy Milk chocolate with a smooth golden caramel and natural banana flavour. “It’s a flavour that Chocolate Lovers have been asking for, and we know Australians love a little bit of fun when it comes to their chocolate blocks,” says Holly Whittaker, co-COO of Whittaker’s. “This one truly delivers and ticks all the boxes; it’s creamy, nostalgic, and just the right amount of unexpected.” First taste tests are already making the rounds on TikTok, with @_lianadam and @snackreviews_aus among the creators sharing their verdicts. Early signs suggest the internet is on board. @snackreviews_aus LIMITED EDITION Whittaker’s Banana Caramel 🍌 This has just hit Aussie shelves after launching last year in New Zealand, and it’s filled with a banana infused caramel. Verdict: I like it! It’s more caramel than banana but you can definitely still taste the banana flavour. 📍 Available exclusively at Woolworths (purchased for $9) @whittakersnz #whittakersbananacaramel #bananacaramel #whittakers #whittakersbanana #woolworths ♬ original sound – Emily | Snack Reviews Aus @_lianadam Whittaker’s LIMITED EDITION banana caramel chocolate🚨🍫 #fyp #sydneyeats #sydneyfood #chocolate #woolworths @whittakersnz @Woolworths_au ♬ original sound – LIANA DAM Banana and caramel is not a combination that needs a lot of convincing. It sits in that sweet spot between nostalgic and indulgent, the kind of flavour that makes sense the moment you try it even if you didn’t know you wanted it. For a chocolate block that retails at $9, the bar for disappointment is also relatively low. Whittaker’s Banana Caramel block is available now at Woolworths stores nationwide and hits Coles from June 1. Source: Good Appetite Find more food retail updates on Crumb Wire.